Ivory Coast faces uphill battle against counterfeit medicine

Main suspect in Christmas bombings escapes police custody

A top police officer was suspended Tuesday after the main suspect in a series of deadly Christmas Day bombings at Nigerian churches escaped police custody. The suspect is thought to be a member of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

AFP - Nigerian authorities on Tuesday suspended a top police officer for alleged negligence in the escape of a suspected member of the Islamist Boko Haram sect arrested over a deadly Christmas bomb attack.

The principal suspect, Kabiru Sokoto, who was arrested on Saturday, was handed over to a police commissioner for further investigation. He was then ordered to be taken to Abaji, near Abuja, for further investigation, police said in a statement.

The sect has been blamed for scores of attacks in Nigeria, including an August suicide bombing of UN headquarters in Abuja that killed at least 25, but the Christmas bombs at churches sparked fears of reprisals from Christians.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south.

Christian leaders have warned that they will have to defend themselves if authorities do not address the spiralling violence.